Promised Pictures

I know I promised a few pictures from yesterday's festivities. I like to keep my word whenever possible, so I loaded them up just for you! I even stayed up late to do it!

Since I was up and loading photos, I figured I would share our new professional photos as well!

I'm Bringing Hankies Back

So, I have now found my new "thing". I think ladies should again carry handkerchiefs, or at least I should! I used to, when I traveled. I would purchase them all over the world. Who knows where they are now though. So, I had so order a few super cheap from ebay and hope for the best. When I say a "few" I mean I ordered 58.... from China.... don't judge. They came in sets of 29 and they were very cheap, so I took a chance.

Anyway, what old-fashioned things do you wish would come back in style? I love to do what I want fashion-wise, so I will rock it if I love it!

Many people say I am an "old soul". I act years beyond my age more often than not. This unusual combination has been my struggle as of late. Its hard to be in your mid-twenties and have people believe your nearing your forties due to behavior and maturity. I'm glad to be mature but I don't want to risk aging myself out of a full life!


Alternate Title: Happy Birthday Mom.

My mother celebrated her birthday today. We went over for dinner and lounged around. Benjamin sang for her and we all ate way too much cake. I plan on sharing a photo or two tomorrow. The lack of photos is why the title didn't stick today!

100th Post!

How lucky is this?! My 100th post falls in my birthday month! I'm so excited that I am not even sure how we should celebrate this fact. I'd have a party and invite you all, but that's a little impossible. So here is what I did do today! I used something from my recently arrived Glam Bag to pretty up my tootsies!

Speaking of the Glam Bag, if you are interested in joining in on the beauty product fun, you can join on ipsy. For ten bucks a month you get 4-5 awesome beauty products in a cool little makeup bag. They are usually full or travel size. I promise its worth it. I LOVE getting stuff in the mail. Here is what my recent selection looked like.

I love the lip crayon and nail polish. They are such fun colors! I have also used the COOLA sunblock as well. It was great as well. I look forward to giving the eyeshadow and hairspray a try!

Other than looking glam-tastic today with my new products, I also got to show off some Gwynnie Bee over the past few days. Here is a little glimpse!

 I'm sure you are very aware by now how much I love this company. They have spectacular costumer service and they keep new clothes coming in all the time! Let's just say I have over 90 things in my virtual closet at this point. I will have to be with Gwynnie Bee for a lifetime and I would still not get to try everything I love.

 If you are size 10 plus, I would highly recommend it. Still on the fence? The first 30 days are completely FREE. However, once you try, you will get hooked!




Now, on to how we shall celebrate this 100th post. I'm up for ideas. This is the week of the hundredth post, so lets make it a week of celebration and fun. I mean, its still my birthday month too! Let's party!

My husband suggested I do a GIVEAWAY! I think that is a fabulous idea! How would you like to receive lip gloss from one of my all-time favorite brands for lip-balm? Soft Lips now has a pearl gloss. It still has the same great 10 spf, but it has lovely, pink, sheer coverage. Here is how to grab it!

1. Follow my blog. If you already do, you have a head start! Comment below that have. (1 entry)
2. Like me on Facebook. Comment below that you have. (1 entry)
3. Come up with one creative way you think we can celebrate my birthday month and/or 100th post and tell me in a comment. (1 entry) If I use your idea you get 2 entries!

Good luck everyone! Remember to include your email address so I can notify the winner. This giveaway will be randomly drawn on Sunday, July 21! Have fun!

Its Good to Be Alive

It really is good to be alive. I have a story no one would believe. Yet, I will share a little of it with you today.

I shouldn't be here today.
I should not be alive.

If you don't believe me, listen to this:

Before birth I was almost aborted, but saved by my brave mother and loving Papa.
As an infant I had severe Meningitides, which leaves many permanently marred and some dead.
As I teen I had seizures, traveled into dangerous lands (during wars), and feared nothing.
As a young adult I flat-lined and spent over a week in the CCU.
As a married adult I continued to have heart issues and had a pacemaker put in.
Today, I live with constant pain and my heart has help.

I AM STILL ALIVE!

Someone once told me, "When you come through a lot, it means God has big plans for you." My response to that is, "These must be some HUGE plans."

I don't always live as thankfully as I should for everything I have gone through, for everything I am. However, I am telling God and the world now that I am so thankful He made me such a strong woman. There are so many more situations that I didn't even include that show just how amazing the fact I am here today is.

Tomorrow I turn 26 years old. Its been some kind off life and I have a long way to go!

Happy Rainy Independence Day!

America and I share the same birthday week! Its a beautiful thing to live in a country where I can believe ans speak freely. We had an absolute blast celebrating today. We lounged around, went to the fair, ate a yummy dinner with dessert and did our own fireworks. After it all, we looked up patriotic songs on YouTube and went to town.

 As you can probably tell, we got rained on all day. Still, I couldn't have asked for a better 4th of July with the family!

What did you do for America's birthday? Fireworks? Eat Watermelon? Grill?

Out of the Mouth of Babes

My son made my day today. My husband and I had two separate shopping cart in CVS today as we picked up a few things we needed to head on vacation on Sunday. Benjamin was in his and Henry was in mine. We shopped separately for most of the trip, but when I did catch up to my husband, Ben called out to me, "oh, mommy your pretty." My day was MADE! Couldn't help but feel happy the rest of the day. He is my sweet little man.

Memories

One of my all time favorite birthday memories comes from my 14th birthday. I did all the planning and it made me appreciate it all the more. My 13th birthday failed to meet my expectations and desires, so I was determined to make my 14th fantastic. I planned a superb luau party. I had everything you could need, leis, Hawaiian music, appropriate games such as limbo, perfect decoration of flowers and outdoor lamps. I even learned some hula basics. I had numerous friends come. In fact, I cant remember ever having more before or since then.

It may be that party that created my passion in creating fantastic parties. I love to plan parties- birthdays, weddings, get togethers, etc. With even a small budget and a little idea, I can create a masterpiece.

What is your favorite birthday (party) memory? Do you enjoy planning events? I'll be out of town on my birthday, should I plan something for our return? I'm open to ideas!

Looking Forward

I'd love to share some of the awesome parties I've had over my years. I may even sure about a few of my favorite parties I have planned.

Heads Up! I will be out of town starting on the 7th of July until the 11th. There probably wont be any posts during that time. Please keep commenting and I'll be back and full of ideas by Friday!

Second Runner Ups & The Intangables

Yesterday I gave you the 5 most wanted things off my Want It! list on Pinterest. Today I will cover the 5 second runner ups and the things I really want that money can't buy.

Runner Ups 

1. Amanda Logo Clutch by Tory Burch

2. Color wheel Umbrella

 3. Moss Terrarium Necklace 

4. Tank night dress with lace back (cute and sexy!)

5. Total body support pillow

Intangibles

1. For Henry to sleep through the night.

2. A good job for the hubby

3. Freedom from pain. I doubt I've mention that I suffer from Degenerative Disc Disease. My back is in constant pain. It makes lifting and caring for my children painful and life generally more exhausting.

4. Health for my family. Both my mother and my husband's mother suffer with mutiple health related issues and pain.

5. For the world to come to Christ. That being said, I'd like to get back on the mission field.
You can learn more about that aspect of my life here.

Looking Forward

Later this week I'd like to look back at my favorite birthdays in the past. I would also like to share my least favorite and the times when things went all wrong!

Spoiled with a Wish List

Truly my husband has spoiled me for my birthday this year. He allowed me to continue my subscription to Gwynnie Bee, he got me new shoes, a new scarf, and allowed me to pick something special up with my Lane Bryant birthday discount. So, today I went shopping with my sister and got to spending. Actually, my sister should get a prize. She had gift cards she didn't even realize and ended up only spending $0.25. Not bad! Anyway, today I want to cover some recent outfits and my top 5 favorite things off my WISH LIST (Want it!) on Pinterest.

My Outfits

  Both these lovely dresses are thanks to Gwynnie Bee. However my favorite part of either or them is my awesome handbag! I found it through Lane Bryant on sonsi! The colors, the shape, everything... it is so unique and fun.

My Wish List

Since July is my birthday month and this week is my birthday week... there is no better time to take a peek into my Want it! list on Pinterest. Everything I really love I put on there for future reference. So, I thought it would be fun to review my list and attempt to pick my favorite five items off it. I'll make it easier on myself and pick five realistic items (no cars, motorcycles, trips to foreign countries, etc). They are not practical at this point, so they are better left where they are right now.

1. A jewelry subscription to Mynt Box to with my Gwynnie Bee clothing.

2. Monogrammed Derby hat to go with my summer style.

3. Asian clutch and change purse off Etsy.

4. A "Diamond" candle because its such a cool idea!

 

5. Satin Nightgowns because they make me feel pretty.

So that's it. I had so many more I was going to put on here, but the were GONE! It forced me to remove them from my Want it! board and move on with life. It looks like I need to do that again very soon. Until tomorrow, smile!

Day 22: Nothing Special

First off, to my unnamed reader friend: You have encouraged me. You have lifted my spirits and gave me hope that there are people out there who read and even enjoy my daily rambling and unusual tidbits. Thank you for being who you are!

Second, do you know what today is? No, well let me tell you. Today makes only 12 days left until the day we celebrate that Gorgeousness was born (that's me). Haha. It hit me today how very close my birthday is. Over the past few years I have had several birthday fails, so I have high hopes of this year. Still, I believe I am grounded because I will be teaching children's church and making a few hour trip that day. I can only expect so much out of the day!

My Day

We did very little today. Grocery shopping, movies, a little playing... the usual. It was supposed to be craft day, but things got in a tangle and that never really happened. We did however build a Lego train and have a great time doing that.

We also watched a Lego a movie... Mommy is all Lego'd out!

Looking Forward

Tomorrow is going to be a very busy day for everyone in my family. We have an appointment in the morning, we going bowling in the afternoon, and I am going out with friends in the evening. I will be lucky if I get to post tomorrow.

Remember to enter for the great earring giveaway- here.  You can find all the rules and information you need there. I love doing these giveaways, but you have to enter to win!

Day 21: Three Day Catch Up and Contest Winner?!

Should I be offended? Not one person entered my contest. My heart is just a tad broken. However, I am going to over look it and assume everyone was on vacation and try this again! Are you interested in winning a brand-new pair of handmade earrings! Specially picked for you, by me at a local festival!? If you are...

Here are the rules this time:
1. Like Casseruola Dolce Della Vita on Facebook.
2. Share that you entered my contest on either Twitter or Facebook. (make sure to tell them @dolcedellavita) Make sure you give them a link so they can enter too!
3. Comment that you did all three! Be sure to include your email so I can let you know if you won!


The contest ends Sunday, June 30th. You get a week to get in to win these lovely dangle earrings!

Catching Up

Now, we have had a very eventful past three days! Wait to you see how much fun we had!

Fun in the Sun: Friday=Water

The schedule I created to help keep summer boredom away said that Friday's mean water play. We didn't have any plans to GO somewhere so we made our own water fun.

Although my oldest got a bit more sun than I would have liked (even with sunblock), he had a blast! When I made them go in for lunch, Benjamin was really disappointed.

Playland and Catch Up

We took advantage of the playland later that day to get together with a family friend. In the end, Benjamin just ended up pulling them into playing with him and very little adult conversation was allowed. Oh the joys and woes of having munchkins. 

Burger King has $0.50 ice-cream cones of cups all summer, so we got dessert for less than 4 bucks! Add that to play time, we got way more than our monies worth.

Moonlight Delight

My oldest son has suddenly taken a liking to the moon. So we took a few minutes when we got home to look at the moon. He also loved the fact that I let him sit on top of my car. He thought he was hott stuff. After our moon adventure we went on a search for lightening bugs. It was the first time he had ever seen one.

Saturday Surprise Party

On Saturday we went to a surprise party for my dad. Because we celebrated earlier in the week he was so clueless of the very special plans we had made for his 50th birthday. Benjamin and Henry especially like the balloons and watermelon that came with the party!

My mother made my dad a dirt cake because she said that he is now "older than dirt". I attempted to have Ben ask "what were the dinosaurs like?", be couldn't remember it long enough to ask. Grandpa was very surprised. We parked all the cars in a church parking lot and shuttled people over, so even when he arrived there was no evidence. We had plenty of fun, food, and music!

Sunday: A Day At the Park

Today we spent some time with our church family River Church at the park. We did service there and did a huge potluck/BBQ afterward. Benjamin and Henry played their heart out. Everyone ate their heart out. And we pray that others were reached by our hearts being "out".

After church and the events surrounding it, we went to a little event full of local businesses. It was really more of a networking event for my job with Growing Up in the Valley, but it was fun having the family along. Benjamin was very helpful and handed out my card to every booth. I had the chance to sign up for some prizes and get some contacts, so all was good. When we got home we were all wiped out from a day of outdoors and hot weather. (Nowhere we went today was air-conditioned.) At home we cooled down and relaxed until dinner. After dinner the usual bath-time, bed-time craziness ensued.

That leads me to where I am now. All my kids in bed, my husband at the movies and the bed to myself for a while. If I new my youngest Henry wasn't about to wake again in a half hour I might have just hit the sack and left you hanging yet another night. So, you have my sleepless child to thank for a fun post of pictures today!

I've actually missed writing. Its part of what keeps me sane, but then again, so does sleep.

I hope to see lots of entries in the giveaway above! Until tomorrow, I pray that you sleep better than I surely will!

Day 18: Story Time & a Birthday Party

We started our day with a fun preschool story time for the boys at the local library. We danced, listened to a story and "finger painted" with yogurt. My kids had a blast and I was thankful we brought wipes!

 We also wished Grandpa (my dad) a happy 50th birthday. It was fun to give him a hard time about being "old". I told Benjamin to ask him "What were the dinosaurs like?", but he didn't.

Henry LOVED trying the cake. He also like putting it on his toes!

Looking Forward

Remember, the handmade earring Giveaway comes to an end on Monday the 24th. So make sure to check out the entry requirements here! Tomorrow is water day... I'm not really sure what I plan to do for it yet. If nothing else we will jump in the kiddie pool. We will also get to see a very good friend of mine, in fact my kids call him uncle. So, it will be another fun summer day!

Day Five: Bedtime Battles

My son had no desire to go to bed tonight. Prior to taking this photo he had a shield and sword and was ready to fight me for it. He is growing up so fast it blows my mind! He has his own way of doing things, and I love that. I don't know if I have mentioned that my youngest is refusing to sleep as well. I don't mean he wont fall asleep, its that he wont stay asleep. I forgot how wonderful it was when Benjamin started to sleep though the night. It made my life so much better. Henry, however, is taking his sweet baby time to sleep through the night. Often times he likes to wake up every hour just to say "hi" and use me as a pacifier. Indeed, the life of a mom.

My summer officially starts Monday at 2:30pm. I am pretty excited. I know I have said this before, but you have no idea! I want you to enjoy your summer as well, so I am going to share something from my friend at Money Saving Mom has on Pinterest. Her Fun & Frugal Summer Activities board is full of great summer ideas. If you have kids older than mine, this is a gold mine! I also recommend you following her blog. Its full of money savings, free stuff, and honesty. I've enjoyed it and benefited from it several times.

Looking Forward

I have ants in my pants about my summer plans. I want to find more of them as much as I want to start living them. This also has me thinking about next month already! My birthday is in July, so it will be a very special month on my blog. I hope to discuss what I've done, am doing, and planning to do before I turn 30. It should be revealing! I also want to celebrate a little. I mean, what good are birthdays if not for parties?!